Blogs from Central Otago, Otago, South Island, New Zealand, Oceania

"For these were the men who led the way To the quiet valleys we know The hero band of this rugged land The diggers of long ago.” A roadside tribute to the gold diggers of the 1860s, many of whom found their way to the Otago goldfields via what is now known as The Old Dunstan Rd from Dunedin.The route is 170 kilometres long, some of it sealed, but the majority gravel or 4WD track. Tough as Old Boots Spare a moment for those miners. I did on a 300 metre climb not far from the Lammermoor Range and even closer to something called the Great Moss Swamp. I had the advantage of a modern 27 speed bike, clothing that could keep me warm even when it was wet, a feather down sleeping bag and ... read more

ALEXANDRA /OTAGO PENINSULA OAMARU Die Biker Rallye in Alexandra war ein ganz netter Anlass. Am Freitag angekommen, es war übrigens Feiertag, habe ich noch nicht mal das Zelt aufschlagen können, schon wurde mein Baby bewundert. Die Typen haben da grosse Augen gemacht. (Also nicht das Baby hier aufm Bild... Das würd mir auch noch gefallen... Ne ich sprech immer noch von meiner BMW R1150GS Adventure) Die Kiwis haben wirklich gestaunt, als ich denen erzählt hab, was das so für n Bike ist was ich damit schon so gemacht habe und was noch kommen wird. Es hatte sicherlilch einige BMW aufm Gelände, doch meine war die einzige GS. Mein Zeltnachbar, ein ganz komischer Kauz, ehemaliger Australier, der schon 35 Jahre in NZ wohnt, war echt begeistert. Doch ich kann mir vorstellen dass der noch für vieles begeisterungsfjähig ... read more

Day 99: Dunedin to Middlemarch to Ranfurly. The first 60km through the Central Otago Goldfields I arrived at Dunedin's impressive railway station at nine this morning ready to catch a train along the Taieri Gorge Railway. Unfortunately the train wasn't a steam engine as I'd hoped (only to make my dad jealous, to be honest, I wasn't so bothered so long as I got to see the scenery and reached the end of the line in one piece). Having climbed aboard one of the old wooden carriages and found my seat, it was a short wait before we started slowly moving out of the station. Leaving the houses and warehouses of the city behind us, we entered the countryside, initially quite lush and green, it became drier and more barren, with mounds of schist stone rising ... read more

The idea to cycle the Otago Central Rail Trail came straight out of the Rough Guide - a 150Km, 3-day bike ride from Clyde to Middlemarch, really appealed. Originally the Otago Central Branch Railway was built (completed in 1921) to support the gold rush in the valleys of Otago, transporting important supplies to the then booming towns along the way. As its demand became less important and road regulations changed the line became uneconomical to run and was closed down. The DOC bought the disused line seeing its recreational potential and created the rail trail for all to enjoy. It is less popular with travellers and generally appeals more to families wishing to take the little ones out on a day outing or for Dunedin city folk wishing to get out into the countryside. We thought ... read more

With our last few days in New Zealand, we took our car down the south east coast to the otago peninsula. The journey had one purpose (in my mind)- to see as many penguins, albatross, sea lions, and fur seals as possible. Well, the dream came true, and we were psyched to be up close, seeing these amazing sea mammals and birds in nature. We stayed at a place called Larnach Castle, which the locals say is more of a big house, but the only castle new zealand has. It was built in 1871 by william larnach, a wealthy merchant who immigrated to new zealand, but continued to fancy himself as an australian. He built the castle at one of the highest points on this penninsula (located 1/2 hour by car from the city Dunedin) with ... read more